Letters Now Sent
Hello!
I’m inviting you to join me on this collaborative writing project that I will be publishing in July 2025. This book of letters will be launched at Ruth Van Reken's 80th Birthday Celebration that Families in Global Transition is hosting. Here is more information about the event: https://figt.org/Global-Gathering-July-2025.
This collaborative book will be a collection of letters from people about Cross-Cultural Kid (CCK) / Third Culture Kid (TCK) experiences.
I encourage contributors to include their names and to address their letters to a specific reader (named in a Dear [name] format). Your letter should not be addressed to "All the TCKs in the world" or "All leaders".... it is meant to be a personal letter to a person in your life. However, if the content is sensitive for you or your organization, please feel free to remain anonymous. For liability reasons, you will need to type your name in the waiver section, indicating that you have permission to use all names mentioned in your letter. This waiver will release Belonging Beyond Borders, LLC and Beyond Borders Publishing from any legal responsibility related to the names included.
Please type your letter and submit as an upload in this Google form. If you have legible handwriting, please feel free to hand write the letter also, scan it, and submit it. Additionally, I strongly encourage you to write in your native language or the dominant language of your family. Translation into English is not necessary; your letter will be published in the language in which it was originally written.
Here are some ideas for you to craft your letter:
Write specifically to your CCK child(ren) if you are a parent; address your parents, siblings, children, or system leader if you are a CCK; or write to CCKs in your system if you are a system leader. Again, it's meant to be a personal letter, so address it to someone specifically instead of to a general/broad audience.
You can write a letter to your younger self.
You are invited to write to someone who has already passed away.
Share what you love about your CCK child(ren) if you are a parent, or express what you value about your CCK experience if you are a CCK. Highlight the character, strengths, and skills that have emerged from these experiences.
Include a specific familial story that stands out as a significant memory, shaping your cultural heritage or identity.
Respond to a letter you received in the past. Reflect on how things have changed and what lessons you learned from the contents of that letter. You may include photos of the original letter, with the writer's consent.
Discuss the challenging aspects of the CCK experience.
Celebrate the positive aspects of being a CCK.
Share instances where you needed to seek forgiveness or offer forgiveness within your letter.
Express your hopes and dreams for future CCKs and what you wish they would appreciate about their experiences.
Offer advice on how to better understand and support CCKs, based on your personal experience.
One page, maximum 1,000 words; minimum 500 words.
Letters are due no later than April 30, 2025.
Thank you for sharing your heart in this letter and for encouraging the hearts of readers!
Kindly,
Megan C. Norton
megancnorton@gmail.com
“It’s such a wonderful project you’re doing. You’ve created a movement in all of us - to connect with loved ones and let them know how much they mean to us , to reflect on the journey and how and whom we have become, to realize how lucky we are having lived this life. ”
Letter Examples to Reference and Gain Inspiration for YOUR own Letter Submission:
“Thank you for creating this opportunity for people to share about their experiences as a third-culture or cross-culture kid!”